Monday, April 23, 2012
Guest
After money, clients are the hardest things to come by, really. And it’s easy to lose a client, when they notice you are not the right person for them. And gaining a ruined reputation back is not an easy task. Many bloggers always find it sad how clients might become complex to handle, but you have to agree it’s not their fault. They worked hard for the money they are going to spend on you, and would ensure they see results in what they are spending their money on. And if you can’t make them see that result they want in you, then you should be ready to lose them for another contractor.
I’ve worked with various clients, from low paying gigs to high paying companies, and I’ve been able to learn a few things from my experience working with several clients. So, I’ll be sharing some ways I’ve learned to please my clients in this blog post, especially those ones that are very skeptical.
Show that you know what you are hired for
More than anything, clients want to know that you actually know what you are hired and paid to do. Any little mistake can cause a lot of trouble. It’s just like an egg, once it’s on the floor that’s the end!
In order to please your client you have to make him/her feel secure working with you. And that security can be gained by showing them, and not telling them, that you know what you are hired to do. After all, no one would go ahead to hire and pay someone who knows next to nothing about what they want them to do.
If you want to fix your car, for instance, and the guy that called himself a mechanic is asking you dumb questions like “how do you start your car” or “where do you locate the alternator”, won’t you take to your heels?
It’s that simple, really.
Be Truthful
Honesty is another great factor that can sustain the relationship between a contractor and a skeptical client. Already your client is skeptical about working with you, and then you are not being honest with her, you are only plunging yourself into a deeper hole.
If you don’t know about something, open up and be truthful with your client. It won’t hurt you, it will only go a long way to show how interested you are in seeing your client succeed, and they will love you for this.
And if eventually, because you opened up that you don’t know a particular job, you lost a deal with them, when they have another job they think you can handle, you’ll be the first person on their list.
Always Welcome Suggestions
Be open to suggestions and be flexible. Perhaps your client is a veteran at what he’s hiring you to do for him, but due to his tight schedule he has to hire you, when he gives you advices on how to do things, welcome it and try it out. Don’t just respond with an immediate “that won’t work”, if you strongly believe it cannot go that way, just try it out and see the outcomes. This will give your client the impression that you are open for suggestions and would be a lot easier to work with!
Conclusion
If you take the points in this blog post and apply it to your career, you will be able to impress that skeptical client and even impress potential ones too.
